As seen in FIG. 1, vehicles 20 such as pick-up trucks, station wagons, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), or other vehicles have cargo spaces 40 that are used for hauling materials. Such a vehicle, typically, has a tailgate 100 that serves as a barrier, thereby retaining the cargo within the bed. Many of these tailgates 100 are hingedly attached to the bed or vehicle frame at the lower portion of the tailgate, and the tailgate 100 can function in a vertical, locked position or a horizontal, open position.
Oftentimes, however, it is necessary to transport items that do not fit within the standard cargo space available when the tailgate is locked in a vertical position. This problem has been exacerbated in recent years by the influx of smaller vehicles on the automotive market. As such, a user is required to transport the cargo with the tailgate in an open horizontal position or with the cargo extending beyond the upper edge of a vertical tailgate. In either case, the user is required to take additional steps to manually secure the cargo in the bed. These additional steps may be time-intensive and prone to failure, resulting in the cargo accidentally falling out of the vehicle or becoming damaged.
Another difficulty frequently encountered when using conventional tailgates concerns entry/exit into and out of the cargo space or truck bed. Although it is desirable to access the inside of a truck bed, conventional open tailgates are too high to be used as a step, especially for people of a lower stature or people carrying items in their arms. As a result, access to cargo beds is often limited since most users cannot step from the ground directly into the cargo bed.
Thus a common problem with conventional tailgates is that they have inherent size limitations, both because the length of the bed is too short and because the tailgate is situated too far above the ground. As a result, extension devices for tailgates have been proposed, albeit often to address only one of the aforementioned problems. Many of the prior extension devices include pieces that are removably attached to the tailgate or, though permanently attached, are located external to the tailgate itself. Although such devices may be useful, they are frequently cumbersome and are not practical for everyday use since they require time-consuming setup procedures. Also, existing tailgate extensions and step devices may be stored externally when not in use. Such external storage ultimately takes up a portion of the existing bed space and can also be unsightly. Furthermore, conventional tailgate extensions do not attempt to combine the tailgate extensions and stepping devices into one, easily manipulated and stored unit.
Thus, there presently exists a need for a combination extension/stepping device that is easy to use, can be compactly stored, is convenient for the user to access, and can be readily set up to extend the working area of a bed and/or to create a step to enhance access to the bed.